The Marvelous Adventures of the SuperBat Family
by Gage39
Summary: After finding out that Captain Marvel in an autistic, homeless child Superman and Batman panic and accidentally find themselves raising young Billy Batson. Surely taking care of a superpowered preteen isn't all that difficult even with interference from Black Adam and the myriad of people that suddenly think they're dating.
1. Magical Beginnings

The Marvelous Adventures of the SuperBat Family

Chapter 1: Magical Beginnings

There were very few things that Bruce Wayne hated in life more than board meetings. He absolutely despised them so, understandably, he hadn't been thrilled when he realized that the Justice League would have to have them as well. Thankfully, the League's meetings were a little bit more…lively.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Stop pinching my ass!" Black Canary was glaring at Green Arrow who didn't look very sorry.

"I thought you liked that," Green Arrow grinned at her.

"Not here and certainly not during a meeting!" the expression on her face promised retribution in the very near future.

"Ha. You owe me five bucks," Green Lantern smirked as Flash reluctantly pulled out his wallet.

Upon seeing the contents the speedster's face fell. "How about an IOU?" he suggested weakly.

"Again?" Green Lantern whined. "I've got like two hundred bucks worth already. Seriously, man, I've seen your paycheck stubs. What do you do with all of it?"

"It's not my fault I have a super fast metabolism," Flash pouted.

"Ahem." Batman cleared his throat and was please when everyone turned to look at him. Years of watching Alfred had helped him learn this particular skill and sadly this wasn't the first time he had been forced to use it for this exact same situation. "Since everyone is here let's get started. The first order of business is recruitment. Is there anyone that you feel would make a good addition to the League?"

To everyone's surprise Superman spoke up. "I do. Captain Marvel." He had never recommended anyone before so he must have been very impressed by Captain Marvel.

"Captain Marvel. Isn't he from Fawcett City?" Wonder Woman rarely kept up new heroes but even she watched the news every so often.

Fawcett City, it seemed, was crawling with giant robots and literal monsters. The Justice League had almost been forced to intervene but Captain Marvel's timely appearance had made that unnecessary.

The fact that one man had made such a difference and had managed to maintain a cheerful disposition was truly astounding. Truthfully, if Superman hadn't recommended him, Batman had been planning on checking him out anyways. They could certainly use another sorcerer. Plus it would be easier for Batman to find a weakness in case he ever went rogue.

"Is he even interested?" J'onn asked. "Are we certain that he will be a good fit?"

"I'll admit he's a little immature and naïve but is eager to help and he would jump at the chance," Superman's smile was tinged with amusement.

"I don't have a problem with him joining," Flash shrugged.

"As long as it's not Guy I don't care," Hal agreed.

"Is he really that bad?" Black Canary asked. "I mean, I've heard the stories but I always thought they were exaggerated."

"Only if Guy's telling it," Hal groaned. "The guy's a walking sexual harassment lawsuit just waiting to happen."

"What about the other Green Lantern?" Wonder Woman asked.

"John? He's not so bad. Pretty decent guy actually. In fact, I'll go ahead and recommend him," Hal nodded decisively.

"Anyone else?" Batman asked with a sigh. At this rate they would have to build another Watchtower just to house all of their potential recruits.

Flash shrugged. "I can't really think of anyone. There aren't really any other heroes in Central or Keystone."

"Same here," J'onn sighed.

"What about the two of you?" Superman turned to look at Green Arrow and Black Canary.

Black Canary hesitated. "We do know some people," she said carefully, "but they're not exactly what I would call League material."

"They're all nut jobs," Green Arrow chimed in.

"If that's all then let's move on to the next order of business. We'll vote at the end of the meeting," Batman said.

When it came time to invite the potential recruits Batman was unable to be there alongside Superman and Hal but he did attend the swearing in ceremony. John Stewart, one for Earth's three Green Lanterns, seemed fairly level-headed and more serious than Hal which was a relief. Captain Marvel, well, he was very friendly and couldn't stop grinning in excitement. Other than tripping over his words and an overly strong handshake that had Batman wincing (internally of course) he was fairly well-behaved as well.

* * *

Between running Wayne Industries, protecting Gotham and makin sure that some of the League's more…embarrassing missions didn't wind up public knowledge Batman was very, very busy. So it was completely understandable that it took him awhile to get a read on their new recruits. John seemed to be fitting in well-he had made some friends and, other than a returned infatuation with Hawkgirl much to Hawkman's displeasure, got along with everyone else.

Captain Marvel, on the other hand, while he was the very definition of friendly, didn't really seem to have any friends. Sure he had acquaintances and J'onn and Superman often went out of their way to talk to him, earning themselves a wide smile and excited hand gestures.

Batman had been a little bit concerned-after all, Flash and Hal were friends with everyone (even the Spectre which was an impressive feat) so that raised quite a few red flags. Not wanting to jump to any conclusions Batman decided to conduct his own investigation first, starting by talking to the man in question. Captain Marvel was easy to find as he often volunteered for extra shifts, particularly on the weekends so the other heroes could spend time with their families (or in Hal's case go on dates). From that piece of information alone it was easy to deduce that not only was he single but he most likely had no one else in his life, including family. So Batman couldn't really fault the other man for wanting to hang around the Watchtower in a desperate attempt for company.

Despite his initial nervousness when Batman first approached him Captain Marvel was eager to talk and put most of Batman's misgivings at ease within a few short minutes. While the man tried to be careful about letting personal information slip he was very open and friendly. It was also very easy to understand why Flash and Hal weren't very good friends with him. It wasn't anything personal but he two often had very, very short attention spans, Flash especially. It was difficult for them to carry on conversations with normal people let alone Captain Marvel who stumbled over every other word.

While he wasn't a licensed doctor or psychiatrist Batman knew enough to come up with a rudimentary diagnosis of autism. It wasn't serious-he knew a few people with it that lived normal lives (one such woman was the head of accounting at Wayne Industries) so it wasn't a big deal. Captain Marvel showed some of the more classic symptoms such as not understanding some social cues (a lot of the Justice League members chose to ignore them anyway) and occasionally stumbled over his words and would slap his thigh in frustration until he either found the word or someone else did. Batman was just relieved that they hadn't made a mistake in recruiting him.

Very little changed after Batman's discovery although he now made an effort to at least acknowledge Captain Marvel's presence whenever their paths crossed, earning him several large grins. Still, Batman had yet to make any progress on finding a weakness. His powers were not only magical but seemed to be weather-related judging by the powerful lightning storm he had conjured during the last alien attack. On the bright side over fifty alien vessels had been destroyed and they agreed to never attack Earth again.

Batman's plan to go to Fawcett City and conduct an investigation were unwittingly hastened by Superman casually mentioning that he was going to consult Captain Marvel about some recently stolen artifacts.

"I know not all artifacts are magic but I started itching when I was near the display case and since Zatara is busy I figured I'd check with Captain Marvel. Plus even Zatara said he didn't know as much about magic as Captain Marvel does."

"You can never be too careful," Batman agreed. "I'll come with you."

Superman sighed. "You're just looking for weaknesses," he accused.

Batman chose not to reply.

* * *

The zeta tube in Fawcett City was in an abandoned photo booth in a less than desirable neighborhood. Thankfully no one bothered them which was a little bit unusual but Batman didn't complain. Soon they were on the roof of the Whiz Radio station. Despite the technological advances of the past century Fawcett City still struck most people as a town trapped in time. Newspaper boys chased after cars and shoe shining was still going strong. Quite a few women were dressed as flappers even as they talked on their cell phones and there were at least two women dressed in styles from the 1800s.

"Fawcett City is very…unique," Batman said diplomatically.

"They even have a malt shop," Superman pointed out.

"So they do."

"Hey guys."

Startled, Batman turned to see Captain Marvel landing on the roof behind them. His approach had been unnaturally quiet and even now he didn't make a sound as he walked towards them. Another eerie thing about him was the fact that his cape moved _with_ him and not with the wind.

"Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

Superman shook his head. "Nothing big-some artifacts were stolen from a museum last night and I wanted to see if you could shed any light on them."

"These aren't magical," he returned some of the files, "but they do resemble some magic artifacts so more than likely you're not dealing with competent sorcerers. These two, however, are very powerful magical artifacts."

"How powerful?" Batman asked.

"Um…" Captain Marvel hesitated for a few moments then reluctantly continued speaking. "Each of them is powerful enough to wipe out a city the size of Gotham," he admitted.

"Lovely," Superman groaned. Even if he wasn't vulnerable to magic he still wouldn't have like it. Magic was unpredictable-you never knew what was going to happen. "Can you track them?" he asked Batman.

"Not really," Batman winced. Zatara hadn't had much luck in making Batman's equipment sensitive to magic and there weren't a lot of magic users he was willing to trust with his belongings.

"I can."

Captain Marvel looked slightly embarrassed when the other heroes turned to look at him.

"I can track them," he repeated. "I know a lot of tracking spells. I mean, I can alter them to work for you but it won't be as accurate."

"Or you could just come with us," Batman suggested. This would be the perfect opportunity to not only learn more about magic but to analyze Captain Marvel's fighting style as part of a team.

"Are-are you sure?" Captain Marvel looked rather dubious. Batman didn't exactly have a good reputation for tolerating magic or for working with those that weren't core members of the League.

"I certainly won't argue," Superman rubbed his right shoulder ruefully, remembering the Mollusk Troll that he had fought on at least one occasion."Would tonight around seven work?" Superman asked. "At the Daily Planet?"

Captain Marvel waited until Batman nodded before agreeing. "I'll see you then." He smiled then effortlessly took off into the air.

"This should be an interesting night," Batman mused.

* * *

A/N: The main inspiration for this story was myself. While I have never been officially diagnosed (my grandmother did not believe in psychiatrists or doctors in general) I display more than a few symptoms of autism but I can still function and take care of myself. So all of Captain Marvel's mannerisms that Batman notice are actually all things that I do on a daily basis.

I will do my best to update this story on a weekly basis but I make no promises as I am changing shifts and departments when I go back after New Years. Thanks for sticking with me so far and please continue to read and review.


	2. Sorrow & Destruction

The Marvelous Adventures of the SuperBat Family

Chapter 2: Sorrow & Destruction

Thanks to the recent time change it was dark by the time the three heroes met on top of the Daily Planet. Batman was the first to arrive, Captain Marvel showed up less than five minutes later once again making no sound. Superman, surprisingly, was the last to arrive.

"My deadline got shortened," he explained with a scowl.

Batman nodded in understanding. "I know what that's like," he sighed.

Captain Marvel tilted his head, confusion written on his face but didn't ask. Instead he held his hands out expectantly. "If we're touching when the tracking spell is cast then all three of us will be able to trick them and not just me," he explained.

"Ok cook," Superman blinked then he and Batman took Captain Marvel's hands.

The magic crackling around his hands stung and Superman winced. To Batman it felt like the flames of an open fireplace, reminding him of cozy winter evenings spent in front of the fireplace with his parents. For Superman it made him think of when Lex Luthor hit him with a car in his teens. It hadn't really hurt but it did sting a little bit. The incident had shaken Lex up and he had tried to be nice to Clark but his father (Clark's that is) didn't trust Lex a single bit so Clark hadn't either. In retrospect he wondered-if he had tried just a little harder-would it have made a different?

"Are you guys ready?" Captain Marvel asked, his blue eyes shining with compassion as he gazed at Superman.

"Yes," Superman nodded.

Captain Marvel's eyes began glowing and the magic in his hands increased. "Give us the ability to find that which we seek." Although the language spoken was not a tongue spoken often they understood it perfectly. Captain Marvel let go of their hands and they stumbled backwards. He cupped his hands and two blue lights appeared. After spreading his hands the lights remained for a moment then darted forward, leaving shimmering blue trails in their wake. "Let's go."

As they took off Batman could swear that he felt something inside of him urging him to keep going forward. Judging by the frown on Superman's face he felt it too. Curious, Batman veered slightly off-course and the urge to follow the lights got stronger. Once he was back on course the urge died down and he had a newfound respect for Captain Marvel and Zatara. No wonder the latter didn't look very enthused whenever he was asked to perform a similar spell.

"We're almost there," Captain Marvel's voice brought Batman out of his reveries. "I sense a few sorcerers ahead but they don't seem to have a lot of magical power."

"How can you tell?" Superman asked.

Captain Marvel was quiet for a moment then he said, "All sorcerers exude magical power so the more powerful they are the more magic that can be felt. That's why most people don't know they have magic-because it's so weak. Not to mention you have a have a certain amount of magic power before you can sense the magic of others."

"I hate magic," Superman sighed.

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or not," Captain Marvel quipped before diving to follow the lights that had stopped moving, Superman right behind him.

Batman waited a moment as he took inventory of the scene below. They were at the docks and there were about three men unloading boxes from a white van and onto a small boat. There were two other men as well but the way there were just lounging around he pegged them as the sorcerers. For some odd reason sorcerers that were involved in criminal activities seemed to think they were all powerful and, therefore, above doing manual labor. Batman just loved probing them wrong.

"Hey." The thieves looked up to see both Captain Marvel and Superman hovering above them, the latter's arms crossed as he scowled at them in disapproval. "Didn't anyone ever teach you that it's wrong to steal?"

"Obviously not," Captain Marvel quipped.

"We ain't scared of you," one of the thieves taunted. "We've got sorcerers on our side."

Briefly Batman wondered why they didn't count Captain Marvel as a threat then dismissed the thought. He could figure it out later-right now he had bad guys to fight. But, come to think of it, he had never once seen Captain Marvel use spells when fighting. If it was a tactical move then it was a brilliant one.

"They don't look like much," Captain Marvel said, interrupting Batman's train of thought yet again. "Honestly they just look pathetic. Like really pathetic."

"I would have to agree with you," Superman smirked. "What kind of sorcerers run around in cheap t-shirts and gaudy jewelry? They look more like teens trying to be hip. Any sorcerer worth their salt would be embarrassed to be seen with them."

"Oh yeah. Well fear this!" One of the sorcerers began chanting and the other quickly jumped in. Slowly, but surely, a fall of flame began to grow before them.

"Lame," Captain Marvel sighed. "That won't even sting," he rolled his eyes then easily knocked out both for the sorcerers, moving too fast for any of them to see.

The rest of the thieves gaped in shock, allowing Batman and Superman to take care of them. Within minutes they were all tied up and Captain Marvel was rooting through the loot and an attempt to locate the stolen items. The urge to follow the objects hit again and the three heroes looked up, just in time to see a figure round the corner, obviously carrying something.

"This isn't going to be good," Captain Marvel groaned.

"I'll keep an eye on them, you go after the other thief," Batman ordered.

"On it," Superman promised as he and Captain Marvel took off.

The thief-which they caught not even thirty seconds later-turned out to be a scrawny preteen. Her clothes were a little big but nice and complimented her dark skin. She was clinging to an old earthen statue that was encrusted with priceless jewels.

"It's mine," she cried, hugging it even tighter. "It's going to bring my parents back so you can't have it."

Captain Marvel knelt down and looked at her with sadness on his face. "That's what it's telling you, isn't it? It's whispering to you, saying that if you just do what it wants it'll give you what you want."

"Wow," the girl's dark eyes were wide. "How do you know what its saying?"

"Because it's saying the same thing to me too. If you know what: it can bring them back."

"Really?" a wide grin spread across her face. "I don't have to be alone anymore?"

Somewhere, deep within him, Superman too felt the first stirrings of hope. He could bring back his birth parents, Krypton itself even. There was now a voice in his head, promising him whatever he wanted: for a price.

"Such magic requires a great price," Captain Marvel's tone was grave. "One that is far steeper than what you want. In order to resurrect your parents over two thousand people would have to die."

"Just to bring back two people?" she paled as much as she was able to.

"Yes and even then they would not be as you remember. By now their bodies have surely decayed and it only reanimates the bodies-not their souls. Do you understand?" Captain Marvel held his hands out and after a brief moment of hesitation she handed over the statue. "Thank you," he smiled. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Darla," she sniffled. "Darla Dudley."

"That's a very pretty name for a pretty girl." Instead of taking her home immediately Captain Marvel continued talking to her. "Are you staying with relatives or are you in foster care? I hated foster care when I was younger."

"My uncle's in jail right now so I'm staying with the Vasquez's," she mumbled. "You were in foster care too?"

"Yep," Captain Marvel nodded. "I didn't like it though so I ran away," he whispered conspiratorially. "Do the Vasquez's hurt you in any way?" the seriousness in his voice let Superman to suspect he was speaking from experience.

"Uh-uh," Darla shook her head so fiercely that her curls bounced. "They're really nice and I get to eat whenever I want to and they've got lots of other kinds so I've always got someone to play with and I even get my own room." The smile made her whole face light up and she looked extremely happy.

"They sound like nice people," Captain Marvel sounded slightly wistful.

"They are," she agreed.

"In that case they're probably worried about you," he pointed out.

"Oh," Darla frowned. "I didn't think about that."

Captain Marvel chuckled and stood up. "Tell you what, why don't we take you home? It's getting late and you probably have school tomorrow."

"Unfortunately," she wrinkled her nose then took one of Captain Marvel's proffered hands.

"IT's the worse," he agreed.

By the time Batman was able to join them Darla had managed to provide directions to where she was staying. They made an odd group as they walked through alleyways, down a city block or two, eventually arriving at a modest two story house.

'Thank you," Darla hugged Captain Marvel then ran up the stairs, knocking eagerly at the door.

The heroes waited until Darla was ushered inside after a hug and confused glances were sent their way before heading back to the crime scene.

"I got this off one of the thieves," Batman held out a ring which Captain Marvel happily took.

"Well at least the museum will get its artifacts back," Superman sighed.

"This probably isn't the best time to mention that these are too dangerous to give back, right?" Captain Marvel laughed weakly.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter and I hope that you like this one even better. Next up: The Monster Society of Evil!


	3. The Monster Society Of Evil

The Marvelous Adventures of the SuperBat Family

Chapter 3: The Monster Society of Evil

"Dare I even ask what you're doing?" Superman put a cup of coffee in Batman's outstretched hand before pulling p a chair.

"Research," Batman said cryptically as he took a drink without even looking away from the computer screen.

"I suppose it's too much to ask that you're getting a head start on picking out colleges for Robin?" Superman asked hopefully, although he had a feeling that he already knew the answer.

"Bludhaven Police Academy," Batman said automatically. "We talked about it the other night. But to answer your question I've been doing research on Captain Marvel."

"Really?" Superman groaned. "Why can't you just accept that all he wants to do is help? It's not a rule that we have to reveal our secret identities," he pointed out.

"Alfred said the same thing," Batman sighed. "He also thinks that I'm mad he's been able to keep it a secret and so my pride is wounded. Utter nonsense of course."

"Why don't you listen to him?" Superman asked. "Seriously-why don't you? Sometimes I think _he's_ the World's Greatest Detective and not you."

"Second Greatest Detective," Batman reminded him. "You can't forget the chimp."

"Unfortunately no I can't." Detective Chimp (while he was undeniably brilliant) was a bit of an embarrassment to the superhero community much like the Metal Men, Plastic Man and Booster Gold. True, they usually achieved their goals but in a humiliating style.

Batman was about to give a sarcastic response when the TV came to life, broadcasting the details of a fight currently going on in downtown Fawcett City between Captain Marvel and the Monster Society of Evil (at least that's what they called themselves).

"Should we go help him?" Superman winced as Captain Marvel was thrown into a building, the resulting shockwave shattering what was left of the windows as cracks quickly formed in the structure.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea," Batman agreed. As a general rule he tried not to interfere in other cities unless he knew the local heroes wouldn't mind. In return they paid him the same courtesy and stayed far away from Gotham. However, having now met and worked with Captain Marvel he had no doubt the other hero would gladly accept their help.

* * *

By the time they arrived in Fawcett City Captain Marvel had already taken down Captain Nazi (a German super soldier that aged slowly) and Ibac (a human that had sold his soul to Lucifer in exchange for superhuman strength and durability), leaving Nyola-a magic wielding, weather controlling Aztec priestess- and the Hydra-one of Mister Mind's diabolical Creations with multiple heads that quickly regenerated. There was no sign of Mister Mind but Batman had no doubt that the evil genius was lurking somewhere nearby. Masterminds always loved to watch their plans in action after all.

The hydra went after Captain Marvel again but Superman intercepted it, using his heat vision to cut one of the heads off. To his dismay the head great back almost instantly while one of the others tried to bite Captain Marvel. He got out of the way in the nick of time, allowing one of Nyola's lightning bolts to strike it instead. The beast howled with rage and turned its attention to Nyola.

"Do not look at me, creature," she hissed. "Focus your attention on Captain Marvel instead-he is the enemy, not me."

The hydra snarled but turned back to the heroes. Acid dripped from one of the mouths, sizzling as it hit the ground.

"How do we stop them?" Superman called. Normally he would just use his heat vision and fists until the threat was neutralized but this was obviously a magical problem and his specialty.

"Just keep him occupied while I deal with Nyola," Captain Marvel called. "When I give the signal get away from him."

"Got it," Batman eyed the beast skeptically then began pulling out several batarangs and miniature explosives. "My life is certainly never dull anymore," he sighed.

As Captain Marvel and Nyola battled overhead Batman focused his efforts on the hydra's feet, distracting it so that Superman stood a better chance of evading its sharp teeth and acid. The hydra was clearly torn between defending its head or feet, its attacks growing more and more sporadic.

Hail was beginning to fall at an alarming rate and Batman risked a quick glance upwards to see Nyola summon tornado like winds as Captain Marvel threw what appeared to be literal bolts of lightning at her.

"We could use a little help down here," Superman called. Despite all their attempts he had still been bitten a few times and blood was beginning to stain his costume.

"Coming," Captain Marvel called and dove down towards them.

"You dare ignore me?!" Nyola shrieked. "You would ignore me, a priestess, for a monstrous beast such as that?!"

"Yeah," Captain Marvel replied after a momentary pause.

"Insolent wretch!" Less than a second later a fully formed tornado engulfed the hydra, lifting it into the air. D "You would dare take their attention away from me? Die foul creature!"

The next few seconds were filled with the hydra's cries as it was tossed around then a terribly loud crash as it finally landed. Debris flew everywhere and it was only through the heroes' quick actions that no one was harmed although there were very few bystanders as citizens of Fawcett City obviously had more common sense than most people and decided to vacate the area when the fight had started. Even the reporters had moved a block away and were filming from there.

"Oh no," Superman groaned when the dust had settled.

There was no sign of Nyola but the hydra was clearly down for the count. Unfortunately he had landed on top of the zeta-tube, completely crushing it.

Batman signed. "I suppose you can fly me to another zeta-tube after we clean up."

"No need to worry about that," Captain Marvel patted him on the shoulder. "Fawcett City's got its very own magical research team that'll take care of the hydra and Ibac and the police have already taken Captain Nazi into custody. Not to mention we have a great cleanup crew that has equipment for cleaning up after monsters. Besides," he looked up, "it's fixing to start raining."

Right on cue the rain began to fall and Batman gritted his teeth even as the remaining civilians began to leave, only the police officials staying.

"Joy." Superman was _not_ looking forward to flying around in the rain while he carried Batman who detested having to depend on others to get around.

"Um," Captain Marvel bit his bottom lip then hesitantly offered, "My place isn't far from here if you guys want to crash until the storm is over with."

"Are you sure?" Superman was a little startled. After all, Captain Marvel was just as secretive as Batman and, while he did let things slip, it was basic information-stuff that couldn't be used to find him.

"Yeah," Captain Marvel's tone was far more decisive. "I mean, you guys came down all this way to help me out-it'd be pretty rude of me to leave you out here in this weather."

"We'll be glad to take you up on that," Batman replied.

"Come on then," Captain Marvel waved his hand. "It's not even a block away."

* * *

A/N: I hope everyone is still enjoying this story despite the delays. I'm going to be working about 60 hours a week from now on until further notices so don't expect miracles. Thanks for all the reviews and please continue to read and review!


	4. Horrible Suspicions

The Marvelous Adventures of the SuperBat Family

Chapter 4: Horrible Suspicions

"Here we are," Captain Marvel announced. "Welcome to Casa de la Marvel."

"You actually live here?" try as he might Superman couldn't keep the shock and horror out of his voice as he stared at the building in front of them. It had clearly been abandoned for quite some time as evidenced by the broken windows and graffiti decorating the outside walls.

"For now," Captain Marvel looked a bit sheepish. "It cuts down on door to door salesmen."

Batman chuckled, earning himself two incredulous looks. "Why don't we continue this conversation inside?" he suggested.

"Good idea," Captain Marvel agreed. "My room doesn't even leak."

Superman still looked pained but followed Captain Marvel inside albeit reluctantly. The inside wasn't much better with holes in the floor that Captain Marvel navigated with ease and filthy sayings on the wall that someone had obviously tried to cover up. The room that Captain Marvel led them too was only a little better-there were no visible holes and it was fairly clean showing that someone had tried to make it more homey.

There was a dilapidated mattress in the corner with stained white sheets. A pair of candles sat on top of an old wooden crate and newspaper clippings (of the Justice League no less) adorned the otherwise plain walls.

"I, uh, I know it's not much," Captain Marvel was beginning to look even more emvarrassed than he had earlier.

"It's not raining so it'll suffice for now," Batman's eyes scanned the room, his analytical mind no doubt noticing clues that Superman hadn't.

"And we appreciate you letting us ride out the storm," Superman added. He was still shocked (and horrified) by his friend's living conditions but finding out why and seeing what he could do to help seemed more important. Besides, his Ma would skin his hide if he wasn't polite to his host.

"No problem," Captain Marvel shrugged as he sat cross-legged on the mattress. "I'd offer you guys' something to eat or drink but I don't really have much."

Superman nodded, internally wincing when he saw one fo the Watchtower's takeout boxes in the corner, halfway hidden underneath a child's backpack. "I'm not really hungry anyways." It was only a partial lie-he wasn't starving but a snack would be nice although he could wait until he got home.

"Same here." After a few moments of awkward silence Batman broke the silence with, "Are you autistic?"

Superman choked and sent Batman a dirty look. "Whatever happened to being diplomatic?" he hissed.

Captain Marvel laughed, his teeth flashing as he smiled widely. "It's okay, Superman, really. I don't honestly know," he admitted. "I wasn't in foster care for that long before I ran away and my teachers never cared enough," although he shrugged casually his smile was tight.

Batman made a noncommittal noise as he said, "Is that why you live here? I imagine it would be difficult to get a job without a diploma."

"It is," Captain Marvel agreed. "Not to mention I don't have an ID or anything. My uncle has all that stuff and he'd rather die than give it to me."

Sensing that they had just hit a sore spot Superman thought wildly for a moment then asked, "Do you have any siblings?"

"Not that I know of," Captain Marvel answered. "I was four when my parents died so even if I did I wouldn't remember them."

Although Batman understood the depth fo Captain Marvel's loss he couldn't help but think how grateful he was to remember his own parents. "I remember being that young," he pointed out. True, people's memories worked differently but Captain Marvel could remember a conversation word for word from nine months ago with no problem. People's minds didn't change that much.

Captain Marvel cleared his throat and pointedly looked at the floor as he spoke. "I kind of had a collision with a brick wall when I was five and got amnesia. Everything after that I remember but nothing before that."

"I see," Batman's lips tightened and, judging by the scowl o his face, Superman had obviously come to the same conclusion: Captain Marvel had been abused as a child.

"I'm okay though, really," Captain Marvel continued talking. "I work enough odd jobs to buy food or whatever else I need. If I don't then I usually bring home food or a few medical supplies from the Watchtower."

"That's a relief," Batman sighed. "I thought Flash and Green Lantern were planning on rolling LexCorp and the Watchtower again."

Captain Marvel burst out laughing, his blue eyes lighting up. "I heard about that," he grinned. "I'm pretty sure they were still on monitor duty when I joined."

"They probably were," Superman admitted. Flash and GL were loyal and good in a fight but their maturity level was a little lacking.

They settled into a comfortable silence after that the sound of rain hitting the roof was proving to be very soothing. Batman was gearing up to ask another question when Captain Marvel suddenly spoke up.

"You guys seemed really surprised that it lived here. Why is that?"

Only a bit startled for he had been expecting something similar since learning about their friend's situation Batman replied, "Because we have our legal paperwork we can work full-time jobs so we can afford to live in a real home. We just assumed that you did to," he explained. Anyone else would have probably been offended but Captain Marvel was the type of person to appreciate blunt honesty instead of prettily wrapped lie.

"Oh okay. I was just curious," Captain Marvel nodded in understanding. He looked up, lightning flashing in his eyes for a brief moment in his eyes for a brief moment before saying, "The rain has stopped."

"Thank you for the hospitality," Superman bowed slightly.

"You're more than welcome," Captain Marvel grinned.

Batman and Superman left the building in silence. It wasn't until they were in the air and halfway to Metropolis that Batman spoke.

"I think he's a child," he said abruptly.

"Why?" if it had been anyone else making the accusation Superman would have laughed and called them crazy.

"Even discounting the autism and possible brain damage he acts more like a kid than an adult. He didn't really seem to grasp the concept that we worked and did the Justice League thing at the same time most likely because he has enough difficulty trying to do school which keeps him busy a less amount of time. Not to mention I spotted some schoolbooks plus everything was child-sized."

"I really, really hate magic," Superman growled. "What do you plan on doing about it?"

"Nothing for now. I'd rather he tell us himself. We just need to keep trying to earn his trust."

"Fine," Superman sighed. "But I'm only going along with this because it's you."

"I appreciate it."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delay but I'm having major car trouble right now plus I lost interest in this story for a few days. I'm now trying to decide if I'm going to keep the original ending or if I'm going to have to change it. My brain has already moved on to the next installment of The New Justice League so I'll do my best to keep this story going for now.


End file.
